TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Ontario-focused gold mine developer Detour Gold on Monday said it had reached a milestone in developing its flagship Detour Lake project after the 230 kV transmission line was recently connected.

This paved the way for the full commissioning of the grinding mills to start, as planned, before year-end.

The C$1.45-billion Detour Lake project, located in north-eastern parts of the province was reported to be on schedule, within budget and 75% complete as at June 30 and on track to reach commercial production by the first quarter of 2013.

Detour said prestripping of the openpit had reached ten-million tons mined, and process plant mechanical contract work were 60% complete. A new peak in construction activities was also reached with 1 550 workers on-site, including more than 279 Detour employees being present at the site and at its Cochrane office.

“The Company remains on budget with sufficient cash to complete the project construction and on schedule for gold production to commence in the first quarter of 2013,” Detour Gold CEO Gerald Panneton said in a statement.

He added that C$969-million was already spent on the project and at C$576-million in the bank, the company had enough cash to see the project through to production.

Meanwhile, Detour also appointed Jean-Francois Metail as director of reserve and resources. Metail is a geologist with over 20 years of direct involvement in economic geology and spent spent 16 years with Barrick Gold, where he progressed to director of geology and reserves strategy.

The company’s stock closed at C$20.48 a share on the TSX on Monday.